Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, have gained widespread use and may provide a variety of functions including, for example, telephonic, electronic messaging and other personal information manager (PIM) application functions. Portable electronic devices include, for example, several types of mobile stations such as simple cellular telephones, smart telephones, wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers with wireless 802.11 or Bluetooth™ capabilities.
Portable electronic devices such as PDAs or smartphones are generally intended for handheld use and ease of portability. Smaller devices are generally desirable for portability. Portable electronic devices frequently include accelerometers for use in various device functions. Conventional accelerometers utilize a bulk mass which presses on a piezoelectric material or otherwise exerts a force on the piezoelectric material. The force exerted on the piezoelectric material causes a charge to be generated by the piezoelectric material which is proportional to the acceleration of the mass. By measuring the charge output, acceleration can be calculated when the ratio of charge to acceleration is known. While effective, there remains a need for more sensitive accelerometers which are sensitive to smaller accelerations for use devices.
Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like elements and features.